It must be a great job - being one of those guys in the FAA or CAA who keeps an eye on the safety of things like DC-8s, 707s, DC-3s and Fokker 100s. The latter, for example, have an irritating habit of losing their wheels - must drive the pilots nuts.
Fokker worked out a fix years ago but it seems some people just can't be bothered to implement it. I mean, what are the chances? (By 2001 it had already happened at least seven times just in the US as it turns out.)
Well the feds, quite rightly, are not happy about this. They've worked out that you can fix Fokker's clever combined axle-nut and spacer device for $4,070 per aircraft (inc parts and labor). This will stop mechanics missing off the spacer - the cause of the problem. And they've tracked down 13 Fokker 100s on the US register. They put out a notice of proposed rule-making in August and nobody responded.
I'm not sure who are the operators of these products of Holland's proud aircraft industry, but don't say you haven't been warned - you've got 12 months to sort out your aircraft or you're grounded.
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